What do you do if difficult stakeholders in software testing are undermining your confidence?

Usually, stakeholders don't even understand what exactly the tester is responsible for. First, you should discuss the responsibilities, the field where you are competent, and the expected results.

Reporting Mechanism should be planned to keep the team in same page including stakeholders. Maintain a stakeholders dashboard which describes Revelent Tickets, Efforts, and Progress in simple language so that a non-technical stakeholder can understand as well. Share Interactive Test reports(ex. allure) to stakeholders perodically which reflects Key performanance Indicators Pass/Fail Count etc to boost stakeholder confidence.

The practice of agile is very much a practice of stakeholder management. You the coder are not in total control of your code. Get comfortable with that. You’ll need to get used to these feelings! They are normal. The trick is not to let them impact your delivery. Learn how to explain what you need in terms of stakeholder value. Does the stakeholder want bugs? Of course not! But they also don’t want unit tests — or at least never in my experience. You need to be able to comfortably explain why one mitigates the other.

First and foremost, have confidence in your role as a tester. Recognize the value you bring to the team by ensuring the quality and functionality of the software. Communicate confidently about your testing approach, methodologies, findings, and recommendations. Utilize data to support your assessments and use Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to showcase the value the test team is bringing. Additionally, educate stakeholders on the importance of the testing process and its impact on project success.

Don't hesitate to discuss all your concerns and risks before testing. Stakeholders want to get only results. They are not interested in the process. So you should communicate with them clearly and set up certain goals

When difficult stakeholders in software testing undermine your confidence, seeking feedback can be a constructive approach. Ask for specific examples or instances where they feel your testing may have fallen short. This opens a dialogue for understanding their perspective and allows you to address any concerns directly. Additionally, seek feedback from other team members or mentors to gain a balanced view of your performance. Use this feedback to identify areas for improvement and take proactive steps to address them. Building a supportive network and focusing on continuous learning can help bolster confidence in the face of challenging stakeholders.

It is very important to grow your professional network, share your results, and learn how other testers work and solve their project issues. If you have your own or participate in other professional communities it's a high chance to stay in touch with the latest test approaches, methodologies, tools, etc.

If your project stake owner is not giving importance to the testing role/ or not leasing to you then you try these steps. 1) clear and comprehensive communication which showcases your level of detail 2) Having regular meetings to explain your findings and risk associated/ impact of the issue on project 3) Show the data to highlight the possibilities to your observations